<
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/01/beware-gifts-dragons-how-dds-open-gaming-license-may-have-become-trap-creators>
"According to leaks reported last week, the company that owns
Dungeons and
Dragons (D&D) is planning to revoke the open license that has, since the year
2000, applied to a wide range of unofficial, commercial products that build on
the mechanics of
Dungeons and Dragons. The report indicates that this
wouldn’t simply be a change going forward, but would affect existing works that
relied on the license. The old license would be revoked for existing uses, and
people who have used on it will be forced to adopt new terms or renegotiate
with the company, Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of game giant Hasbro.
Obviously, this would be a rude and unfair thing to do to people who have
accepted the invitation of the open gaming license (OGL) to create new games
and stories that build upon
Dungeons and Dragons. But would it be legal?
Even more interesting, would revoking the OGL actually give some third parties
more freedom to operate, given that the OGL forced them to promise
not to
do some things that copyright and trademark law otherwise permit?
Let’s find out.
UPDATE: It's been reported as of January 14, 2023 that Wizards of the Coast has
backed off on their plans for now."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
